Myrgh Kerenza
by WhoNeedsReality
Summary: Kerenza loves stories from Cornwall, where her parents grew up. She loves her Aunt Sapphire, and is excited about visiting her in Cornwall for the first time. But one night she sees something she shouldn't have, and when she meets a strange boy who pulls her further into the strange world she's stumbled onto, she wonders what she's willing to risk to protect the ones she loves...
1. Prologue

**AN: I already wrote this chapter out once, but fanfiction deleted it... at 1 am. So now, a slightly hysterical me is trying desperately to rewrite it, with my former energy and burst of creative juices! The idea wandered into my head as I was wondering what happened to Sapphy, Faro and Conor after Crossing of Ingo. I hope you enjoy it, and please review!**

The book is my favourite thing in the world, a present from my favourite person. The cover is greeny-blue, and made of silk. It's so smooth and satiny to touch, it feels like water. It's inlaid with an intricate design, a circular Celtic symbol of some sort, composed of so many swirls, it looks like the sea on a stormy day. The book is an anthology of old Cornish folk tales, and it tells of giants and heroes and spirits. But most of all, it tells of mermaids. Strange, beautiful, underwater beings. Aunt Sapphy gave it to me when I turned ten.

Dad was angry with her. "Don't get Kerrie mixed up in that stuff," he hissed at her, "isn't it bad enough, what position it's left you in? Do you really want to put her through that?" I had no idea what Dad was talking about.

"Don't be silly, Con," I remember her saying, "there just stories. The kind we grew up with. She has to know them, they're part of her Cornish heritage! they're in her blood."

I've never seen Dad get as angry as he was then. His jaw clenched, and his voice went deathly soft. "Don't. talk. about. her. _blood_."

Aunt Sapphy laughed softly. "You really think being silent changes anything? It's who she is Conor. It's who I am, who you are. I haven't forgotten, even if you have."

I don't remember any more of the argument. I kept the book hidden from Dad, in case he took it away from me. I read it to myself. Dad never read me stories. He always preferred to read me encyclopaedia articles, newspaper columns, autobiographies, history books... "True things," Dad used to call them.

I liked them, they were interesting. I felt special, knowing that whilst most people were read fairy stories, I got real information. But that was before the book. That gave me information of another kind altogether. But even that information wasn't the kind I really needed.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello guys! We in Britain have been having a very fun summer, what with Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, England being pretty close to winning the Ashes, the Lions winning the Rugby, four Gold medals at the athletics, Chris Froome winning the Tour de France, and Will and Kate having their new baby boy. All the happiness and joy put me in the mood for an update, so here it is!**

"Kerrie! Kerrie!"

I frown as the shouts wake me up onto my face, ending my dream. I can't remember exactly what was going on, but I remember there was water- warm, gentle water, that made me feel like I was swimming in liquid sunlight. And as I remember this, I feel myself drifting back into sleep, my thoughts floating away, and I'm-

"KERRIE!"

I sit up abruptly, properly awake this time. I look up, then wish I had, because my eyes meet the furious brown ones of my Dad.

"Morning Dad," I say, running a hand through my hair.

"Kerrie, how many times do I have yell for you to wake up?" Dad's already dressed in Jeans and a polo shirt, hair washed and combed, and arms folded.

"Sorry Dad," I say, flushing, "I couldn't hear you."

He raises an eyebrow at me, but lets it drop. "Anyway, you have half-an-hour to get showered- wash your hair mind, it's a mess- dressed, check that you're packed, eat your breakfast, and get yourself to the car!" He leaves the room, presumably to start loading his and mum's suitcases. I lay back for a minute, then jump up and spring into action.

I've been counting down to today for months! It's finally the first day of the summer holidays, and we're going down to visit Aunt Sapphy in Cornwall for the first time. Every other year, she's met us somewhere else, like Scotland, or Spain, or France. Dad never wanted to go back to his childhood home, and Mum wasn't particularly fussed where we went, as long as we got to go somewhere.

I shower in five minutes flat, which is no mean feat, considering the amount of hair I have to wash. I run around in a frenzy, pulling on my shorts and t-shirt. Then I fish around in my dressing table drawer for a minute, before I find what I'm looking for. It's a necklace, my favourite necklace. The pendant is a little fish, made of a flat, oval-shaped stone, with a tail made of a piece of broken shell, and an eye made of a piece of broken glass washed up on the beach. It's hung on a length of twine, which I tie around my neck. Aunt Sapphy sent it to me for Christmas. She made it herself, she makes jewellery out of things she finds on the beach, and sells it in the little tourist shop she runs.

"Kerrie! Are you ready?"

"Nearly, Mum!" I call. I have just one more thing to pack. I unzip my suit case, revealing piles of messily folded clothes. I open my bedside drawer, and pull out the silky blue book. For a second, without quite knowing why, I hug it to my chest. Then, I lift the piles of clothes with one hand, and slip the book at the bottom of the suitcase. Then I zip it back up and practically fall down the stairs.

"Morning Kerrie," my Mum smiles at me.

"Morning Mum," I say, grabbing a granola bar.

We make our way to the car, carrying suitcases which we shove into the boot, Mum piles the bags of food under her seat, and finally, we're on our way.

6 hours later, we're there.

* * *

I sit up groggily. The left side of my face hurts, from being pressed up against the window for too long, and I feel car-sick, and as I get out of the car, my legs feel as though they've been filled with jelly. But it doesn't matter now- none of it does. As I breath in the warm, balmy air that smells of brine, and feel the golden sunset light caress my face, the feeling of weak, woolly-headed nausea lifts. I feel strong, and whole, and happy.

I look outwards, and my breath catches in my throat. I can see now that the little cottage, in front of which our car is parked, is seated close to the edge of a hill. We're surrounded by grassy patches, and the cottages are scattered few and far between. But that's not what holds my interest. Beyond the grass, the cliff ends, and plunges downwards, into a band of white-gold sand, dotted with seaweed and shells and driftwood. And beyond that, and stretching for what seems like infinity, is the ocean. It's beautiful- glittering fiery in the light of the sunset, glinting orange and yellow and red and gold. I can hear the waves, as they wash in and out, and in and out, and in and out, slowly, rhythmically, like breathing. In and out, in and out, in and out, in and-

"Sapphy!" Dad's voice slices through my daydream, as he catches sight of his sister, and waves. I break into a grin as I see her, and again, as every time I look at her, I'm struck by the striking similarities between our appearances- both of us have dark, wavy hair, though mine is only just long enough to tie into a ponytail, and hers tumbles way past her knees. Our slender frames are similar too, but whilst I come across as lanky and a bit awkward, she moves lithely, and thanks to all the time she spends swimming, she's developed long, lean muscles.

She runs towards my Dad, loose white cotton trousers and khaki half-sleeve blouse flapping in the breeze, and a huge smile lighting up her faraway eyes.

"Con!" she cries, barrelling into Dad at top speed, almost knocking him over with the force with which she hugs him.

"Ouch, lay off Saph," Dad groans, but he's smiling at the top of her dark head, "how're you?"

"Better, now I'm sure you've come! I half expected you not to show up!"

He rolls his eyes and catches his breath as Aunt Sapphire releases him. I'm struck by how much younger he looks now he's met his sister.

My Aunt's moved onto new prey. "Rainbow!" she exclaims, delighted, hugging her with equal force.

"Saph!" squeals Mum, equally delighted, almost picking Mum up.

They swing each other round for a bit, giggling, and then it's my turn.

"Kerenza, my girl," she says, mock serious, and for the millionth time I wonder why she's the only person who calls me by my full name.

"Hey Aunt Saph," I say, grinning ruefully at her.

"Fifteen now, eh?" she asks, nodding her approval, "too old for a cuddle?"

"Oh, definitely," I say, smiling as I lean in for a hug.

We break apart laughing, and Mum and Dad start carting luggage in to the cottage. I grab my rucksack, and look around for Aunt Sapphire. I catch sight of her, standing right down by the gate, staring out seawards, a wistful expression on her face. I hadn't notice her move that way.

"Aunt Saph! Are you coming?" I call to her as I cross the garden to join her.

She doesn't reply, nor does she seem to notice me when I reach her side.

"Aunt Saph? Are you-"

"It's strange to think, isn't it?" she interjects, as if she didn't hear me start to speak, "we all grew up with it. Me, your Dad... my Dad."

I nod. "Dad said the cottage's been with your family since the time of his great-granddad."

"What?" she turns to look at me, bewildered, as though I've suddenly shaken her awake, "oh, right. The cottage, yeah."

She shakes her head, and puts a hand on my shoulder to steer me back towards the cottage. I've crossed the threshold, but Aunt Sapphire hesitates by the doorstep for a moment. She's still staring at the sea.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, guys, this is an urgent appeal: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I really need to know if you guys like what I write, what I can improve blah, blah, blah. Sorry, I'm not usually so pushy, and I won't threaten you guys with a "no chapter until I have 5 reviews" kind of thing, but Ingo is a comparatively small fandom, so we all need to help each other! Alright, I'm done now... chapter time!**

I climb down the ladder as gently as I can, trying to keep quiet. It's not easy, the cottage is old, and it creaks wherever I seem to step. I don't mind though, it's comforting, somehow, as though the house is another member of the family. I exhale in relief as I reach the bottom of the ladder that leads down from my room. Aunt Saph's not gone to bed yet, so I haven't woken her. I'm sleeping in what used to be Dad's bedroom, and I have to go through Aunt Sapphy's bedroom, up a ladder, to reach it. Aunt Sapphy's had the same bedroom for almost her whole life. Mum and Dad are going to be sleeping in the room where Grandma and her husband Roger used to sleep, before they moved to Australia for good.

I peer into Mum and Dad's room. I can just make out Mum's shape, fast asleep, and Dad's sitting in a chair with a book open on his lap, his brown hair ruffled, chin resting on chest, eyes shut. I creep downstairs, my throat dry, and I'm glad only Aunt Saph's awake. She won't mind me being up at this time, even if it is just for a glass of water. I glance around the kitchen, clutching my glass. That's odd. Aunt Saph's not there.

"Aunt Sapphy?" I whisper. No answer. Brow creased, I fill up some water from the tap, taking care not to turn the water on too hard. My eyes flit around the kitchen and living room again as I glug the whole glass of water down without a breath. The radio clock flashes, telling me it's 3:02 am. _Relax, Kerenza, _I tell myself, _she's probably just in the loo._ Even so, I sit around for ten minutes, before checking the toilet. Empty. I run up to the one upstairs, abandoning all caution, not caring if I wake someone up now.

"Aunt Saph," I hiss into her bedroom, flicking on the light. Nobody.

I've scoured the whole house twice, when I see it. The front door's unlocked. Someone's been out. _Leave it_, the voice in my head hisses, _Aunt Sapphy's lived here her entire life, she knows what is and isn't okay. Go back to bed_.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I've changed into jeans, hoodie and trainers, found a torch at the back of the boiler cupboard, and creep out of the house, after finding what I hope are the spare keys. I flash the torch around the garden first, and in the vicinity of the house, making sure she's not there. I stumble round the garden for a bit, whispering her name. I walk backwards away from the house, looking around, when I trip over a bit of loose earth, and tumble backwards. I mutter a curse to myself, as I sit up. With a gasp, I realise I've fallen through a gap in the hedge, onto a mud path. I'm about to get up and walk away when I realise something, Aunt Sapphy's cottage is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There's no way she could reach the nearest town, St. Piran's, at this time. However, this path... she could have followed it... _No_, the sane part of me says, _you do not know this area. Go back to the house and don't worry._ For the second time that night, I ignore the voice of reason and creep along the path.

* * *

_I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive!_ is the only thought running through my head, closely followed by, _Dad will flay me if he finds out about this_. I've the edge of the cliffs, and I can see that if I was to climb down, I would reach a cove. I'm not completely mad, however. I'm not about to clamber down some rocks I've never been to in the middle of a night. Instead, I glance around, trying spot sign of Aunt Sapphy. I don't need the torch here, the moonlight's so bright.

It's as I'm about to get up and go, that I see her. Aunt Sapphy, crouched a little way along the cliff. I'm about to yell to her, breathless in relief, when I catch sight of something else. Someone else. She's talking to someone, and when I squint, I can make the person out more clearly. It's a man, with dark, tousled hair, bright blue-green eyes, and a bare, muscular chest, moonlight and water droplets glistening on it. He's leaning forward talking, to Aunt Sapphy. She's doing the same, leaning close to him, and when I look even more closely, I can see their hands are clasped together, fingers interlocking. Suddenly, I start noticing other things, like their proximity to each other, and the warmth, the overwhelming joy in their faces, and I feel like I'm intruding on something.

I lean down, behind a rock, and peer over the top at the pair. They talk for a while longer, before he moves is hand to the back of Aunt Sapphy's neck, and she cups his face with her own hand, and they bring their faces closer to each other, eyes closing, and then-

I duck down behind the rock shuddering. It's all too private, too passionate. It's not for me to see. I wait a while, before gingerly peering over the top again. They've broken apart now, but they hug once more. Aunt Sapphire stands up, and for a moment, I think the man's going to join her. Instead, he looks up at her one last time, and then turns and dives, dives into the ocean. And he has a tail.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: Sadly, my summer holidays are coming to a close, but my wave of inspiration isn't, so I'm trying to get as many updates in as is humanly possible. Please review!**

I am panting, my chest heaving up and down as I've flopped down onto my bed. I don't know how I, the slowest runner in the school nine years running, managed to sprint back to the cottage, get to my bedroom, change, put away the clothes I just wore, and get back to bed, taking care to pull the ladder up behind me, all before I can hear Aunt Sapphire creeping softly into her bedroom.

A Tail. The man I saw with Aunt Sapphy. He has a _tail_. A TAIL for crying out loud. There's only one place I know that has information on men with tails. Gently pulling open my bedside drawer, I take out the book. Usually when reading the book, I adhere to a strict routine, which involves stroking the cover reverentially, and whispering the words out loud as I read it. Not tonight. Tonight, I flip through it with a mad speed, not caring if I tear a page or not, until I find what I'm looking for. My book is divided into sections, each one marked by a title page. The one I've opened to says: SEA PEOPLE- TALES OF THE MERFOLK AND THEIR DOINGS. I read folk-tales about fishermen who strike up conversation with Mermaids, about sirens who sit on rocks and entice sailors to their dooms, and about men who find selkie skins on the beach and take the women that own them as wives. I even find Aunt Saph's favourite story, The Mermaid of Zennor, but I can't find what I'm looking for.

It's as my eyes are prickling with exhaustion, and my vision starts to blur, that I notice something. The corner of the book's backpaper is coming unstuck. I've kept the book in immaculate condition, and I can't imagine how this happened. Anxiously, I fiddle with the corner, and then, to my horror, the whole sheet comes unstuck. And there's another ten pages. And the first of those is the only one that isn't blank. And it's covered with an illustration. An illustration of a woman crouched on the cliff edge, talking to a man leaning towards her. A man with dark hair, muscled chest, bright eyes, and a tail, a man whose name I don't know. But I know the woman. I know her cascade of tangled curls, her soft, faraway eyes, and her tanned face. And I know her name. It's Aunt Sapphire.

* * *

"So, Kerrie, excited about your first full day in Cornwall?" Mum beams at me from across the table. Mum's a morning person, unlike Dad and I.

"Yeah, very!" I say. It's true. Despite last night's occurrences, I'm still excited.

"Good," says Aunt Sapphy, "I'm glad you'll finally get to know where you _really _come from!"

"Just don't love it too much," warns Dad, "otherwise, you might not want to leave!" He laughs, but the look he gives his sister makes me think he's not really joking.

* * *

The whole car ride to St. Piran's, I'm nervous and jumpy, sat next to Aunt Sapphy in the back seat. I keep sneaking sidelong glances at her, but she seems fine, chatting away as though all was normal. I start to relax. It was probably just a trick of the light, that tail. And I was tired when I flicked through that book, I must have imagined it.

It's fun, hanging around in St. Piran's. All the adults get nostalgic about when they were my age, and Dad seems to have forgotten all the issues he had about coming back to Cornwall. We have lunch at a fish-n-chip place on the high street. Mum treats us all to an ice-cream. She has strawberry, Dad has rum-and-raisin, Aunt Sapphy has chocolate-and-pecan. I have toffee fudge.

"Better than a Mr. Whippy, eh?" grins Aunt Sapphy over the top of her cone.

"Never thought I'd say this, but yeah, it is!" I keep taking bites out of it, as Aunt Sapphy explains that the Ice Cream is made from famous Cornish clotted cream, and then proceeds to buy me a packet of Cornish Clotted Cream Fudge. We walk around St. Piran's, dropping in and out of shops, and I feel a warm, lazy happiness descending on me.

It's nearly eight in the evening, and I gaze at the pink-and-purple-striped sky, and the golden ocean, and the fiery stretch of sand bordering it, and it feels, warm, inviting, like an old friend...

"Dad?" I ask, putting on my best 'darling daughter,' voice, "can we go down to the beach?"

Dad freezes stock-still. I can see his ears go red. "Not right now, Kerrie," he says, and continues. I don't move.

"Why not?"

He turns around slowly. "It's late," he says.

"Not really, Conor," interjects Aunt Sapphire, nonchalantly. Dad glares at her. She examines her thumbnail.

"Saph," he says, "a _word_ please."

He pulls her to the side. They have a hissed conversation with lots of glares and exuberant hand gestures.

Mum steps over. "Oh, give over, Conor, let her go! Saph'll take her."

Dad's expression can best be described as incandescent, but Aunt Saph claps her hand on my shoulder, and begins steering me towards the beach front.

"Why does Dad hate the sea so much?" I ask, as we walk along the very edge of the beach, where the waves lap the sand.

"He doesn't _hate_ it," reasons my Aunt, "he fears it."

I snort incredulously. "Why would someone who grew up on a cliff fear the sea?"

She smiles. "The ocean is a powerful thing, Kerenza, and if you're not careful, you can get swept away."

The way she says it, I don't think she's talking about currents.

We make our way to a drier area of sand, and sit down. Aunt Saph reaches forward to pick up a pebble, and as she skims it across the surface of the ocean, I notice a brown woven bracelet on her wrist.

"Where'd you get that from?" I inquire, nodding towards it, "did you make it in your shop?"

She twists it around her wrist, smiling. "No," she says, and unless I'm seeing things, she's blushing, "a friend gave it to me."

I don't know if it's the tang of salt in the air, or the expression on her face, but something reminds me of last night, so I can't stop myself when I ask, "was it your boyfriend?"

She stiffens, and her ears go red, the same way Dad's do when he's anxious or embarrassed. Or angry.

"No," she stammers, slowly regaining her composure, and forcing a laugh, "I don't have a boyfriend!"

I laugh it off, and she appears to relax, but we walk back in silence. She doesn't look at me again for the whole evening.


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: I LOVE MY REVIEWERS! You people are awesome! Sorry for the time between updates, school just restarted, so I am madly busy right now.**

"What? Oh, oh dear lord, but is she alright? Yes, yes, I get it Roger, but... No, yeah, yep. We'll see what we can do. Okay, yep, bye."

Dad snaps his mobile phone shut, looking tense. Mum and Aunt Sapphy are looking at him anxiously.

"Mum's had an accident," he sighs, "a bad one. She's going to be fine, but she'll need help for a few months- more help than Roger can give. With their pension, they can't afford a live-in nurse."

"We have to go to her!" Mum cries, passionately, "It's up to us to help her!"

"I know," sighs Dad, raking a hand through his dark hair, "and my work isn't a problem," Dad's a copy editor with _The Times_, and works from home, "but what about Kerrie? We're talking a three or four month stay in Australia at least! She can't miss a month of school, she starts her GCSE year in September!"

"Her school has a boarding section," Mum points out, "I'm sure we can arrange for her to stay for a month or so!" She turns to me, smiling. "You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?"

"Um, yeah!" I say brightly. I don't really mind, but I'm sure that just agreeing will make things easier.

"That's fine," says Dad, "but it would also involve her flying back from Australia alone! She can't go on a twenty-four hour flight by herself."

"She won't have to," interjects Aunt Sapphire, her voice as cool and reassuring as a glass of water in the heat, "she can stay with me for the rest of Summer." She waits whilst Dad's had flies upwards, staring at her hard and sharp. Then she continues. She can stay with me, and I'll drive her back to London when the time comes. I'll stay with her for a couple of days, get her to school, then come back up here! By the time half-term rolls round, you two should be back, and everything will be fine."

"Leave her here," says Dad slowly, "by herself."

"With me," corrects Aunt Saph, and her eyes are sparkling angrily. She and her brother glare at each other, conversing with their eyes, but only for a moment, before Mum cuts in.

"Oh, Sapphy! You would do that? That would be perfect, _thank_ you!" She's all hugs and smiles, steering a spluttering, confunded Dad away to start booking tickets and packing.

* * *

I blink a few times. It's barely been two days, and they're gone. Packed, driving back to London to make arrangements from there. Mum was flitting round the house like a Robin, room-to-room, getting everything ready. Dad worked quietly and efficiently. I couldn't tell wether he was more worried about Grandma, or about leaving me here.

The car's driven out of sight, and suddenly Aunt Sapphy and I are alone in the cottage. A few weeks ago, I'd be fine with this arrangement, but images of a man with a tail keep slipping into my head, and I feel nervous.

"Do you want to go explore the area?" she offers, smiling, "I need to do some stuff for the shop here, but you can go wander round!"

"Yes please!" I jump at the chance to be alone. It strikes me, the difference between her and Dad. She's willing to let me wander round an area by myself, an area I've never been before. Dad would turn puce if he knew.

* * *

It's all very fun, rushing out of the house by myself, but I realise I have no idea where to go. In the end, I just find a footpath, and follow it. I'm halfway along the path when I hear it. Singing. It's beautiful, almost choral, but freer, a more raw sound. It's male voices, there's more than one. I don't understand the words they're singing, but they remind me of the sea.

Almost without knowing what I'm doing, I follow the sounds. I don't know where it's taking me, I have no concept of where I am, until I find myself at the edge of the cliff. And I see them. There are three men sat on the other end of the cliffs. I stiffen as I see them. One of them, the eldest one, is someone I recognise. It's the man I saw Aunt Sapphire with that night. I can only assume, then, that the three of them are mermen. I begin lowering myself down the rocks carefully, watching them the whole time. The second man is younger, only about thirty, with a soft face, and very curly, light brown hair. I swear quietly as I almost fall of a rock, managing to catch my balance at the last second. My heart hammering from the moment. I see the last figure. He's the youngest of all, only about my age. His hair is dark, mahogany-coloured, and his eyes are darker still. All three of them are good-looking, beautiful, even, in an old-fashioned sort of way.

I manage to get to the bottom of the rocks without killing myself, and by this point, they aren't singing anymore. They're leaning in talking, so I can't hear what they're saying. When they break apart, the two older mermen dive straight of the cliffs, disappearing beneath the waves. The youngest waits to watch them disappear, then his face breaks into a huge grin, and flops backwards, so he's lying back onto the grass, with his tail hanging off the edge of the cliff.

The whole situation is so strange, I'm frozen. I want to run away, but I'm rooted to the spot, watching him. Then, almost in slow motion. He sits up and looks down and across so that he's facing me. And then he's waving me over.

For a brief moment, I consider turning and climbing back up the cliff. An image of me tripping and tumbling back downwards dispels the thought, so I stay put. The boy sighs, and dives off, into the sea. I allow myself to relax, when he appears again his head above the waves, a few meters out, waving me over. I take a few steps closer to the seafront, until I'm at the edge of the ocean. I roll up my shorts, and tentatively wade in till I'm knee deep. I'm not stupid enough to go further, as far as I know, I'm out here alone, and I'm not the strongest of swimmers.

The boy sighs when he sees me stop. He ducks under the waves again, and appears a foot away from me in a second. I yelp, startled by his sudden appearance so suddenly, and almost fall down. I'm suddenly terrified. There's a merman in front of me!

He raises an eyebrow at me. "You're not very good with those are you," he states, nodding at my spindly legs.

My fear of him evaporates suddenly. I bristle. "Better than you could ever be, clearly!" I cry indignantly.

"Is that how you greet new people here?" he asks.

"You're not a person."

He looks hurt. "Why, because I'm cleft? My uncle was right, you humans are peculiar."

"_I'm _peculiar? You're a merman, for heaven's sake!"

"I'm not a Mer_man_," he huffs, "I'm Mer. There's no 'man' involved. Now for more important things. What's your name?"

"I can't tell you my name, you're a stranger!"

"So it's alright to insult new people, but not introduce yourself to them? Strange."

I sigh. "My name is Kerenza. Kerenza Trewhella."

He looks at me, surprised. "Kerenza?"

"Well, yes. Though I suppose you could call me Kerrie, if you wanted."

"No, no," he shakes his head, smiling, "Kerenza is fine."

I frown, puzzled. "Why do you find it so odd?"

He shakes his head. "I'll explain it some other time. My name is Carrow."

"Pleased to meet you," I say, holding out my hand. He looks at it. I pull it back. "Never mind."

He shrugs and then moves on. "Do you want to come with me?" he asks, glancing at the waves.

I snort. "Please, be serious. I can barely swim in a pool, and I can't even dive! Not to mention, I met you all of five minutes ago. And I can't breathe underwater."

He looks at me. "I'll help you. And you won't need to breathe. Don't you want to see something new?"

I allow myself to imagine a whole new world, beneath the waves. For a moment, I'm about to agree, to go ahead and explore. But I stop myself. "Not today," I say, shaking my head. "My Aunt's expecting me back for lunch."

He sighs. "If you're sure," he says.

My stomach tightens with disappointment, but I begin to move away.

"Kerenza," he calls after me, "maybe later?"

And then, without looking back, Carrow, this strange new boy turns and dives, and dives, leaving me utterly bewildered.


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Hi guys! Thanks for reviewing, keep it up. Sorry it's been so long since I updated, madly busy with homework and whatnot! Please let me know what you think of Carrow, I really want him to be good!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

I've never noticed the patterns on the ceiling before. Thin, spidery cracks in the plaster, spreading across the ceiling like veins. I focus on the patterns, tracing them with my eyes, trying not to think about anything else. It doesn't work.

I keep allowing my thoughts to wander back to the cove that day, and the strange boy Carrow, and how he was certain we'd meet again. I've steered clear of the cove since then, but I keep letting my eyes flit to the window, glancing at the cove, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy with the tail again.

I'm almost certain Aunt Saph suspects something. She keeps glancing at me, smiling knowingly, but not saying anything.

Apart from these odd interactions however, everything continues as per usual. Mum and Dad, along with Grandma and Roger, Skype us every morning. I enjoy being with Aunt Saph, and today, she comes down and says: "Kerenza? I need to go down to the shop today, so why don't you come along too? You can hang around St. Piran's for a few hours, and we can go have lunch afterwards!"

So we jump in the car, and a few hours later, I'm wandering aimlessly around St. Piran's, wondering where to go.

In the end, I find myself ambling along a pier, perched with my legs dangling over the edge. Before my thoughts sweep me away entirely, I can feel the entire pier vibrating under me as someone runs across it.

"Hi!" I glance up, and find myself staring into two, moss-coloured eyes and a mane of red curls.

"Er... hi?"

The girl standing above me laughs. "My name's Rowan! Sorry, I'm a bit mad as you can tell."

She has the kind of genuine warmth that you can't help but warm to immediately. I smile at her. "My name's Kerenza Trewhella, but you can call me Kerrie."

She looks surprised. "Trewhella? That's a local name. Funny, I've never seen you round before! Usually, I know everyone! That's why I came up to you- you're new."

She looks so proud of herself for this I can't help but laugh. "Yeah, yeah I am new. My Dad's from here, as is my Mum. They moved after they got married. I'm staying with my Aunt Sapphire..."

Her face brightens. "Sapphire Trewhella? Oh, of course! She and my Mum've been best friends since school! You just tell her you met Katie Polkerris' daughter, she'll know me!"

I nod, pleased to have found a friend.

"So," she asks, flopping down beside me, "come to St. Piran's often?"

"Nah, not really. I never have much reason to!"

"Well," she gestures to herself theatrically, "now you do!"

We laugh together, and sit for half-an-hour, talking, and I bask in her company.

She turns to ask me something. "You'll be coming to Carrack Down tomorrow right? For the bonfire?"

Before I have the chance to answer that I haven't a clue what she's on about, a voice above me says: "Well of course she is!"

Aunt Sapphy's standing there, smiling. "Hello, trouble," she says to Rowan, "not arrested yet, I see. How's your Mum?"

* * *

"So what exactly _is _it?"

"I'm sure you had bonfires in London, Kerenza!"

"Yes, Aunt Saph, but what _for_?"

"Midsummer's Eve- the summer solstice." She gazes into space for a second before saying: "It's a powerful time for earth."

I stare hard at her for a moment, before going to change. She doesn't notice. As though she's not even there.

We leave when we're all dressed- her in a deep purple dress, I in a red jumper and jeans- and walk to Carrack Down. As we walk, she tells me all her memories from past bonfires. All except from the year Grandad disappears. I never hear about that. All I know is he disappeared a little while after Midsummer's Eve, never to be seen again. Dad, his Mum and his sister never talk about it- not to me at least.

The walk is a scenic one, though so is almost any walk you take in Cornwall. We end up right on the beach, and it's dusk- the sky is lavender, and the sun appears to be sinking into the ocean and setting it on fire. There's a huge bonfire going, and the people surrounding it are dancing, singing folksongs, and throwing wreaths onto the fire. It feels like I've stepped back a thousand years to the times when Cornwall was it's own country, and gods still trod the earth.

"Kerrie, Sapphire! You came!" Rowan comes hurtling to a halt in front of us, a woman who looks exactly like her in hot pursuit.

She introduces herself as Katie, Aunt Saph's best friend, and the two of them go to join in the dancing. I turn to Rowan warily. "Do we have to, erm, dance?"

She takes one look at my face, and starts laughing. "Of course we do! But lets get you a boost first." She drags me over to the refreshments table and grabs two bottles of cloudy lemonade. We stand there, swigging the tart drink, and she's about to haul me over to the bonfire, when she freezes.

"Oh heck," she whispers, "she's coming straight to us! Why's she staring at you, look!"

I glance up to see who she's talking about, and that's when I see _her_.

The woman is tall, and reminds me of a mountain, she's so statuesque. She's wearing a brown dress and jacket, with scarf and hat the colour of poppies. Her face is wrinkled, but her dark eyes are to bright for her to feel elderly. She's old certainly, but not elderly.

"Who is she?" I hiss at Rowan.

"Granny Carne," she whispers reverentially, "she's been around forever, and most folk will swear she has magic."

"Do you think so?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Seems like it."

I feel a bit uneasy, and when I glance up, I'm pierced by a pair of bright, penetrating eyes.

"Hello Kerenza," says a low, warm voice.

"Um, how did you know my name?" I blurt out. My eyes dart around, searching frantically for Rowan, but she's scooted away.

The corner of Granny Carne's eyes crease in a smile. "I know things."

I don't doubt it for a moment. I don't know why, but I'm almost certain she knows about my time at the cove yesterday, and it's making me nervous.

She scrutinises me carefully. "The sea is a powerful thing, my girl," she says, finally breaking the silence, "you have to be careful with it. Just ask your aunt." and then she leaves.

* * *

Staring into the dancing flames, I try hard to forget. Forget how the old woman's eyes bore into me, how she knew things. I try to lose myself in the warmth of the fire, how the flowers on the wreaths glow in it for a second before flaring up and vanishing. I focus on the way the dark hair of the women flies around their waists as they dance, how the children are laughing and the men are singing.

I try to join in the singing, to drown out the omnipresent song of the sea, but I can always hear it, thrumming away nearby.

Rowan waves her hand in front of my face. "Kerrie? Kerrie? KERRIE! Are you coming?"

"What, sorry?"

She rolls her eyes. "You numpty! I said, I'm turning fifteen next week, and I'm having a beach party at St. Piran's to celebrate! Are. You. Coming."

"Yeah, sure, if Aunt Saph's okay with it!"

She beams at me and says her goodbyes. With a start, I realise it's already one in the morning. Aunt Sapphire and I walk back to the cottage in companionable silence, both of us stealing glances at the sea.

* * *

In spite of every ounce of common sense I have telling me other wise, I'm back at a now abandoned Carrack Down. I know it's not the same cove where I met him, but I'm sat on a rock, and facing the sea. I don't know where he is or what I'm supposed to do now, so I call out a single word. "Carrow?"

Nothing. I laugh at myself, but it's a panicked laugh. "Carrow? Are you there?" I'm alone on a beach in the middle of the night, and I'm scared. I'm about to get up and try and find my way back, when a voice behind me asks: "leaving so soon."

Carrow leans back and studies my face for a moment. "Why so surprised, Kerenza? You called for me didn't you?"

"Well, yes," I concede, "but I didn't think you'd hear me."

He stares at me.

"It doesn't matter," I whisper.

"Why are you whispering?" he mimics my hushed tone, "no one can hear us! Watch." He grins at me, and yells "HELLO!"

"Carrow!" I hiss, "be quiet!"

He laughs at me. I scowl back.

"Don't be grumpy, Kerenza. Now, do you want to see my home?"

"Um... That's probably a bad idea."

He raises an eyebrow. "Oh really? Why?"

"I hardly know you, for one thing. And I'm not a very strong swimmer. And it's dangerous to swim at night."

"Yet you still came here and called me."

I flush.

He grins, and in a sudden, swift movement, he reaches forward, grabs my wrist, and yanks me in. I barely have time to shriek, before I'm completely submerged in icy salt water. It's filling my lungs, I can't breathe, I need to go home... Dad... Aunt Saph.

"Shh," says Carrow, "stop thinking. Let go of the air! You don't need air!"

But I do, I do need it. I'm drowning, I'm dying...

Carrow obviously senses it too, because with one hand, he grips my wrist, and with the other, he grabs my chin, and tugs at my face so I'm staring into the depths of his green eyes.

"Let go," he says. And I do. I let the thoughts of Air drift away, and suddenly, I can breathe.

"Carrow!" I splutter, "I could have drowned!"

He shrugs. "You didn't."

I glare at him, until he sighs. "Alright, I am sorry. But now, you are in Ingo, and-"

"What the hell is Ingo?" I demand.

"Ingo is everything _here_, all that is not Air. And now we are in Ingo, you must trust me, because right now, you'l only be able to breathe whilst I'm holding your wrist.

I look at where his hand is wrapped around my wrist. "Where will you take me?"

He laughs, and says: "Where _won't _I take you?" and he gives his powerful tail a flick, sending us into the depths of the ocean.


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: So sorry for the wait! I'll try to update sooner next time, I promise. Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! And now, on with the chapter!**

Blue. Green. Purple. Pink. Red. Orange. I never knew the sea had so many colours. It was a little awkward, at first. I wasn't entirely comfortable holding Carrow's hand, but I certainly wasn't going to let go. It's beautiful here, but it's big- huge. Everything's so vast, and I am rendered insignificant and powerless. I'm a little on edge. Carrow sees things I don't see- shoals of fish passing us by, a stingray gliding beneath us, a jellyfish brush the sand on the ocean floor.

"Come, Kerenza," he says, his eyes glittering in his face like two strange jewels in a sandy desert, "there is a large current coming- we should ride it!"

I follow his gaze, and see a glassy twist of water writhing towards us. It's fast and powerful. "Are you sure, Carrow?" I ask, "it looks a bit... dangerous!"

He grins wickedly. "That's the fun of it!" He grabs me, and with a flick of his tail, he sends us powering into the current. Suddenly, there is a lurch, and everything blurs. Nothing is solid anymore, and there's no time to think. My stomach plummets, and my legs turn to jelly. I blink, and it's over. We're in some completely new surroundings now- there's a reef beneath us. Carrow's in front of me, his grasp on my wrist firm, dark hair floating in the waves. His expression is smug, though eager too. "Well, Kerenza," he says, as though he might burst with pride, "did you enjoy it?"

I can't help but smile at his tone. "It was certainly different." I don't mention that I still can't feel my legs.

* * *

"Could you have mentioned this a little sooner?" I hiss. It was the dead of night when I entered Ingo, and now I'm out, the dawn is already seeping over the cliffs. "It's been six or seven hours, at least! Aunt Saph will kill me- as will Dad when he finds out about this." I round on Carrow. "How could you not tell me this?!"

"I didn't know." The corners of his mouth are tugging. He finds my rage funny, and this irks me beyond belief.

"How did you not _know_?" I explode, "Your world's time is completely screwed up, and you didn't mention it?"

He looks at me, green eyes innocent. "But surely it's _your _world's time that is... screwed up."

I roll my eyes, exasperated. "I'm going. Aunt Saph will be worried sick!"

"So," he says slowly, "when will we meet again?"

"Are you mad? I'm never doing that again!"

He pouts. "You blame me for the nature of my world. Anyway, we do not have to revisit Ingo next time," he glances at the landscape behind me, "perhaps you could show me some of your Norvys."

I'm so busy muttering under my breath, and watching him swim away, that it's ten minutes before I realise that I knew that "Norys" meant "Earth."

* * *

I don't know what I am anticipating when I get back to the cottage, but this isn't it. Aunt Saph is sitting at the table, holding a warm dressing gown for me, with a plate of hot buttered toast, and some tea, all laid out. She tells me to go and shower, and warm up, and she smiles broadly at me when I come back down. She doesn't talk, just watches me eat. I chew the toast like a cow chew's the cud- slowly, methodically and mechanically. She waits for me to finish, and then there's silence. She's watching me with a dreamy, strange sort of smile on her face, and I feel uncomfortable. I suddenly yearn for Dad's yelling, anything to break the silence.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"No, no! How was it?"

I gulp. "How was what?"

She laughs. "You don't have to hide it from me. Ingo's a wonderful place, and too big a secret to bear on your own. It always helps to share, I should know!"

I think of the night I saw her at the cove, and it's out before I can stop myself. "Your boyfriend's a merman."

The easy smile slides from her face, and her hands clench around her coffee mug. She lowers her head so that the hair falls in front of her face. "You saw Faro. When?"

"The night we arrived. I couldn't sleep. I walked down to the cove. I saw you, with... Faro."

She looks to the ceiling, and sighs. "Yes. Yes, you saw me with Faro, who I suppose you could call my... boyfriend. We meet at night so-"

"He won't be seen."

She smiles wearily at me. "So what about you?"

"Huh?"

"You can't reach Ingo alone- who helped you?"

I turn the cup in my hands nervously. "A boy- merboy, that is- his name's Carrow."

Aunt Saph looks up, surprised. "Carrow? Who would've thought it..."

I stare at her. "You _know _him?"

She laughs, nodding. "Carrow's uncle, and guardian, is Faro."

I can't help but grin. "That rhymes!"

Aunt Sapphire continues, ignoring me. "Meanwhile, you have to promise... do not tell your father."

I nod. Dad's always so paranoid about anything ocean-related. "What's his problem anyway?"

Aunt Sapphy looks darkly at the table. "Your father is no stranger to Ingo, or its inhabitants."

I stare at her. "_Dad_ knows Ingo?"

"He grew up here, remember? He found Ingo before I did, actually."

I continue to stare.

"He never trusted it, wanted it as much as I did," her eyes have taken on a faraway look, and suddenly, it doesn't feel as though I'm the one she's talking to, "but he enjoyed it all the same."

"So why does he hate the sea so much?"

Her eyes focus on me again, and they're dark and penetrating. "When the sea wants something, it takes it. And your father was terrified that it wanted something of his."


End file.
